About Us

HOW EVOLVE FORMED:

Evolve was founded at the kitchen table. A place where the most important conversations seem to happen…. What can be done to prevent the next tragedy? Why have we made so little progress in preventing gun violence over the past few decades? And perhaps most importantly, why is there such animosity between the gun community and the rest of the country? It was obvious from the outset that this was not going to be easy.

Guns are a part of America, from the shot heard round the world to present days. How do we as a country begin a productive conversation that protects gun rights, but gives equal consideration to the moral responsibilities that come with those rights?

The key is trust. When a seemingly uncontroversial word like safety becomes politicized, it's no wonder it feels like nothing can get done. How bad is it? Consider that when a non-gun owner mentions 'safety', the gun community interprets that as a ruse meant to hide your true intentions of taking their guns away. So Evolve is consciously apolitical, and doesn't address legislative issues. We've recruited gun owners, manufacturers and retailers to sit alongside non-gun owners. And we hope that we are being as transparent as we can. All to build trust, so that we can all start working together to increase safety and reduce gun violence. And for our first act, we need to take back the word 'safety' so that it isn't on either side, but is universal and politically agnostic.

WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE TO PARTICIPATE?

It's everyone's business whether someone is making responsible choices in acquiring, using, promoting, or storing a gun. That's because poor choices put all of us at risk, gun owner or not. But likewise, all of us can participate in the solution.

Gun safety and the reduction of gun violence begin with every American. We can all have more awareness, and then help promote, responsible choices that reduce gun accidents and violence. This conversation should be as common as discussing responsible drinking, or whether you baby-proof your house. Kitchen table conversations among families, especially those with kids, save lives. But so can having the gun safety talk at your PTA, with friends, book club, where you work, gun range, church group, playground, pediatrician and so on.

Americans are cynical about politics, but influenced by peer pressure from community, friends, family, religion, trusted brands, and unconsciously, by mass media. Cultural beliefs can't be legislated, but societal initiatives can be the most powerful – and legitimate – form of transformative change.

How do you change behavior among millions of people?

Evolve will make safety and saving lives aspirational, through mass media campaigns that ignite conversations. We will do this through mass communications channels – TV, major websites, YouTube, mass transit -- talking to people in their living rooms and where they conduct their lives.

What is 'The Code'?

Evolve has researched the behaviors of responsible gun owners and non-gun owners, a tacit collection of actions that respect the power of guns and save lives. We call it 'The Code', and it is the backbone of our efforts. Follow The Code -- and make sure everyone you know follows it -- the same way ' friends don't let friends drive drunk.' Every individual, gun owner or not, can make a difference by helping to establish gun responsibility as the social norm.

So how does this happen?

We use the same tactics utilized by MADD, the tobacco 'Truth' campaign, 'Amber Alert,' milk carton campaign and others that have changed culture. The campaign is used by best-in-class creative advertising agencies and we have engaged the highly renowned Saatchi & Saatchi as one of our key creative partners.